Obama, hotel/hospital union extend support to Caldwell

• By Marcel Honore
• Oct. 14, 2016

Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell scored two key endorsements in his re-election bid this week, including a nod from the commander in chief. Read more

Party affiliation a key point of contention in House race

• By Marcel Honoré
• Oct. 9, 2016

When Democratic state Rep. Aaron Ling Johanson last won re-election, in November 2014, he was a Republican. Next month, voters in his district will head to the polls for the first time since he switched parties. Read more

City Council is divided over mayor’s race

• By Marcel Honore
• Oct. 7, 2016

Four Honolulu City Council members have now endorsed Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s re-election versus three for Charles Djou, but those backing Caldwell insist the endorsementsdon’t affect what happens on the Council. Read more

Mock bills could gauge mileage tax

• By Marcel Honoré
• Oct. 6, 2016

The more than 1 million Hawaii drivers who get annual vehicle inspections could soon receive mock bills comparing what they pay in state fuel taxes to what they would payif taxed on the miles they drive instead. Read more

Rail board stakes out dual tracks

• By Marcel Honoré
• Oct. 4, 2016

The new “Interim Plan” that Honolulu rail leaders delivered to their federal partners Monday actually offers two paths forward for the island’s beleaguered, cash-strapped transit project. Read more

City on track with repaving goal

• By Marcel Honoré
• Oct. 4, 2016

Nearly four years into an aggressive five-year repaving campaign, city maintenance officials report they’re still on pace to fix the city’s worst 1,500 lane miles of road as planned — even if wet weather and more challenging street repairs have slowed progress in the past two years. Read more

Cash-strapped HART offers feds 2 options for rail’s size, scope

• By Marcel Honoré
• Oct. 3, 2016

Local rail leaders delivered to their federal partners today an “interim” plan that outlines in broad strokes what they intend to do about the island’s beleaguered, cash-strapped transit project. Read more

Rail estimate grows to $8.6 billion; completion pushed back

• By Marcel Honoré
• Sept. 30, 2016

Local rail leaders have raised their estimate yet again for how much it will cost to complete the cash-strapped 20-mile transit project, now putting the price tag at more than$8.6 billion. Read more

Cracks exposed in rail materials

• By Marcel Honoré
• Sept. 29, 2016

Parts of the rail guideway are cracking and snapping even before the first stretch is finished, and money-saving efforts may be behind the problem, new reports show. Read more

Road woes roll on

• By Marcel Honoré
• Sept. 28, 2016

In recent years, Hawaii’s state-run highways and roads have held firm as some of the worst in the nation, the Reason Foundation’s latest annual report shows. Read more

Closures start tonight for H-1 freeway eastbound in Kapolei

• By Marcel Honoré
• Sept. 26, 2016

This week, Leeward Coast drivers heading town-bound at night should expect some delays: Road work will close a stretch of the H-1 Freeway eastbound in Kapolei, officials say. Read more

Acting rail director intends to leave in November

• By Marcel Honoré
• Sept. 24, 2016

Acting rail Executive Director Mike Formby says he intends to leave that post — and his work at the city — in early November. Read more

A former consultant says rail project is costing Kiewit $100 million

• By Marcel Honoré
• Sept. 18, 2016

The work to build Honolulu rail’s first 10 miles of elevated pathway is costing Kiewit Infrastructure West at least $100 million, according to a former project consultant with knowledge of the situation. Read more

Voyaging canoe Namahoe launched amid pomp

• By Marcel Honoré
• Sept. 12, 2016

Several hundred Kauai residents and onlookers celebrated the launch Sunday of what’s believed to be the island’s first proper Hawaiian voyaging canoe in about five centuries, during an emotionally charged ceremony at Kalapaki Beach. Read more

Broken trust between HART, Kiewit detailed

• By Marcel Honore
• Sept. 6, 2016

Acrimony between rail transit officials and the project’s major contractor, Kiewit Infrastructure West, could explain why Kiewit declined to submit a bid for rail work past Aloha Stadium. Read more

Mauna Loa crew back from ‘Mars’

• By Marcel Honore
• Aug. 29, 2016

A year ago six volunteers of different nationalities and personalities — some chattier than others, some neater and cleaner — entered a modest dome two-thirds of the way up this desolate volcanic slope, where they had agreed to spend the next 365 days confined together to study potential effects on crews for future missionsto Mars. Read more

Volunteers came to value simple things, each other

• By Marcel Honore
• Aug. 29, 2016

Two days before exiting the dome habitat, Sheyna Gifford, the crew’s chief medical and safety officer, blogged about the questions she and her fellow HawaiiSpace Exploration Analog and Simulation crew mates had already answered numerous times (“What do you miss?”) — and she offered a list of questions she hoped the mediawould ask instead once their mission wrapped Read more

‘Dark’ galaxy found using isle gear

• By Marcel Honore
• Aug. 26, 2016

Using powerful telescopes atop Mauna Kea, astronomers say they’ve discovered a massive “dark” galaxy that could answer some questions about how the universe works — andraise new ones. Read more

Ocean symposium seeks to engage Pacific nations

• By Marcel Honore
• Aug. 23, 2016

Japan’s first lady teamed up with U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye’s widow Monday to launch an environmental symposium that they hope will become an annual gathering of students, scientists and activists from both sides of the Pacific Ocean. Read more

HART chief resigns

• By Marcel Honore
• Aug. 19, 2016

Amid rail officials’ seeming inability to stay ahead of skyrocketing costs and calls for greater accountability, the project’s top executive resigned Thursday after more than four years leading the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation. Read more

Grabauskas resigns as HART’s chief executive

• By Marcel Honoré
• Aug. 18, 2016

Honolulu rail’s embattled CEO Dan Grabauskas has resigned effective today, the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation’s board of directors said this morning. Read more